GUILD HALL ANNOUNCES ANTHONY MADONNA

THE PATTI KENNER FELLOW IN ARTS EDUCATION

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Guild Hall has named Anthony Madonna as The Patti Kenner Fellow in Arts Education. This inaugural position was made possible by the generosity of long time Guild Hall Trustee, Patti Kenner. Ms. Kenner is an indefatigable advocate for social causes, including arts education, women in politics, Holocaust survivors and history. In addition to Guild Hall, Ms. Kenner is a Trustee of the Defiant Requiem Foundation, the Museum of Jewish Heritage-A Living Memorial to the Holocaust, Carnegie Mellon University, and many others.

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“We are indebted to Patti Kenner for her support of this critical new fellowship. Anthony started at Guild Hall only a few weeks ago and in that time, he’s been reading up on our programs, meeting our staff, chatting with the Teen Arts Council, and is very excited to grow the already rich history of arts education here on the East End. We’re so lucky to have Anthony bringing his knowledge and passion here to us at Guild Hall as The Patti Kenner Fellow in Arts Education,” said Andrea Grover, Executive Director.

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“I am thrilled that this newly created position will support arts education for youth through high quality, inventive, and pioneering educational offerings,” said Patti Kenner. “I look forward to watching Guild Hall’s connection to area schools become even more vital.”

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As an interdisciplinary collaborative artist, educator, and administrator, Anthony Madonna strives to construct experiences that both critically challenge our individual beliefs and bring awareness to our responsibility as a community. This ambition has led him to work in various roles and contexts as a workshop-leader of original music and theater pieces among diverse age groups and learning developments; a music practitioner within elderly communities; a concert and festival producer; a composer/performer of experimental vocal works; and a collaborative installation artist. Anthony has worked with institutions such as the McCarter Theatre Center, Princeton, The Juilliard School, New York, and the Barbican Centre, London. His projects have been presented/performed as part of the Tate Modern’s Tate Exchange initiative, the Barbican Centre’s Dialogue, UnFinished, and Curious festivals, and other community-focused programs. He is a graduate of Westminster Choir College (B.M. Music Education & Vocal Performance), The Juilliard School’s Professional Apprentice Program, and the Guildhall School of Music & Drama (M.M. Music Leadership).

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“I am incredibly thankful to Ms. Kenner for her generous support of arts education, and to the staff at Guild Hall who have been so welcoming over the past few weeks. Artistic engagement and progressive civic pride are historic staples of the east end, and I look forward to growing that tradition as part of Guild Hall,” said Anthony Madonna.

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Patti Kenner chose to underwrite this position to increase Guild Hall’s investment in childhood education, a lifelong passion. Patti was born in New York City and grew up in Harrison, NY. She graduated with a degree in French from Carnegie Mellon University and received her Master’s degree in Early Childhood Education from Columbia University Teachers College. Following 10 years of teaching, she joined her father at Campus Coach Lines, the charter bus company he founded as a student at the University of Michigan in 1928 and which he ran until he passed away recently—at 104. Patti is now President of Campus Coach.

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In addition to her other educational pursuits, Patti has been a Trustee at her alma mater Carnegie Mellon for over 25 years and just dedicated the Askwith Kenner Global Languages and Cultures Room with virtual reality stations to bring the students to places around the world. Combining education and the arts, Patti serves on the board of the University Musical Society at the University of Michigan which brings theatre and music to the Ann Arbor community. She is currently co-producing a documentary film on Raoul Wallenberg who was a student at the University of Michigan. For over 30 years, Patti served on the Board of the Educational Alliance, a 125-year-old social service agency on the lower East Side.

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Harvey Ginsberg Postcard Collection. Courtesy of the East Hampton Library’s Long Island Collection.

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Guild Hall, one of the first multidisciplinary centers in the country to combine a museum, theater, and education space under one roof, was established in 1931 as a gathering place for community where an appreciation for the arts would serve to encourage greater civic participation. For nearly nine decades, Guild Hall has embraced this open-minded vision and provided a welcoming environment for the public to engage with art exhibitions, performances, and educational offerings. Art and artists have long been the engine of Guild Hall’s activities and the institution continues to find innovative ways to support creativity in everyone.